"Song of My Heart" by Kim Vogel Sawyer

The Wagner family is in trouble.  With Mr. Wagner ill from the coal mine and receiving a poor prognosis from the doctor, someone has to work to support the family - and jobs are scarce.  At least, they are until cousin Sid sends a letter from Kansas with two jobs for Sadie, the oldest.  Leaving her Indianian home to work in a general store and sing in a new opera house wouldn't be easy, but it would allow her to step out on her own and help her family.


That's what Sadie tells herself until she arrives.  With no opera house in sight and her boss asking her to sing questionable songs, Sadie begins to long for a friend, but instead finds herself with two would-be suitors: Thad McKane, the new sheriff, and her own childhood friend, Sid.


With her new boss seemingly up to something, her singing job in jeopardy, the sheriff determined to find troublemakers in town, and Sid foisting his attentions on her, can Sadie stand up to the pressure and be the woman that God is calling her to be?


Sadie seems just like the girl next door - fresh-faced, innocent, eager to help, and in the beginning of this story that makes her feel just a little too lily-white, if you know what I mean.  She seems to be the perfect employee, friend, and date; however, just when I began to think that this story could become sappy, life changed for Sadie.  With her employer demanding bawdy songs and revealing stage costumes, with Sid pressuring Sadie for more than friendship, and with Thad trying to tell God just which career he should have, these characters soon showed their true colors.  With all of this action happening at once, this story went from slow to rolicking.


Sawyer not only chose the perfect characters but a great mix of emotional levity.  The general store owners, spinster twins, often throw in humor just as Sadie adds drama, adding depth without despair.


Kim Vogel Sawyer gives great attention to detail.  Not only does her writing flow and the characters welcome you into the story, but she adds quirks and tidbits that remind you of the story's time period throughout.


If you enjoy historical fiction, check out Kim Vogel Sawyer's work.  They're wonderful - and you should start with Song of My Heart.


For other reviews of Song of My Heart, visit the blog hop.


To buy the book for yourself, visit this link.

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of nineteen novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and six grandchildren.

She invites you to visit her Web site at www.kimvogelsawyer.com for more information. 

Celebrate with Kim by entering to win a Nook Tablet and connecting with her at the Book Chat Party on 3/29!


One "songbird" winner will receive:

• A Nook Tablet
• Song of My Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends 3/28/12. Winner will be announced at Kim's Book Chat Facebook Party on 3/29. Kim will be hosting an evening of chat, fun trivia and more! She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, and much more!

So grab your copy of Song of My Heart and join Kim and friends on the evening of March 29th for an evening of fun.

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP TODAY and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 29th!

I received a free copy of "Song of My Heart" from LitFuse Publicity Group in exchange for an honest review.

"Sixty Acres and a Bride" by Regina Jennings

 

Rosa Garner is homeless.  Abandoned by her family and newly married, she must also leave her country after her husband and father-in-law die.  Traveling with her mother-in-law to her former home in Texas, they arrive only to find that the family homestead will be sold in three months' if they don't pay the back taxes - an astronomical sum.  With few choices before them, Rosa works hard to earn the money only to have an idea backfire and be faced with the prospect of an arranged marriage.  Can Weston, relative of her mother-in-law, save the family ranch - and her dreams of love?

Debut author Regina Jennings writes a whirlwind of a tale!  Faced with Rosa's problems I would be tempted to pull my skirts over my head and cry, but Rosa just pulls on her apron and works hard throughout.  She is obedient and respectful to her mother-in-law and often chooses silence instead of voicing her opinion - which often seems wise beyond her young years.

A rewriting of Ruth and Naomi's story, Sixty Acres and a Bride provides insight into how Ruth could have felt.  Decisions are seldom based solely one factor, and Jennings' complex plot provides a wealth of complications, versions of which the Biblical Ruth could have experienced.  Did she face personal peril?  Was food scarce now?  Did she long for another marriage?  Did she dream of faraway lands?  Did she lack opportunities and prospects, having been married to a foreigner?  This pondering of the true Biblical story was one of the best aspects of this story.

The other was the romance between Ruth and Weston.  

Several years a widower, Weston had his own issues to overcome before welcoming a new bride.  With time of the essence and complications in place, however, he is not given that luxury.  That does not keep him from being strongly attracted to Rosa's beauty, however, or to admire the strength of character that she exhibits every day.  With many unwilling to help Rosa learn the American customs she finds strange or to find ways to save the family land, only Weston sees Rosa for the wonderful creation she is, but his former pain holds him back - as does Rosa's fear of a second loveless marriage.  Their dance to find true love and healing is remarkable.

This is a fiesty, fun look at love in Texas 150 years ago, but don't take my word for it.  You can read an excerpt here or visit other reviewers on this blog hop.


If, of course, you'd rather just buy the book now, you can do that here.

Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a history minor. She has worked at The Mustang News and First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows. She now lives outside Oklahoma City with her husband and four children. Meet Regina here.

Learn more about Regina by visiting her website, www.reginajennings.com.

Celebrate with Regina by entering to win a Kindle Fire and coming to her Author Chat Party on 3/27!

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Sixty Acres and a Bride by Regina Jennings

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends 3/26/12. Winner will be announced at Regina's Author Chat Facebook Party on 3/27. Regina will be hosting an evening of chat, fun trivia and more! She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, and some beautiful silver jewerly!

So grab your copy of Sixty Acres and a Bride and join Regina and friends on the evening of March 27th for an evening of fun.

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP TODAY and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 27th!

I received a copy of Sixty Acres and a Bride from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

Ethiopia

This week we had a very special guest - a local man who has made several mission trips to Ethiopia - and is planning his next one.

Jason began by telling us a bit about himself and how God has led him to Ethiopia.  From there we learned about its location and climate.

Ethiopia is a land-locked country west of the Horn of Africa.  It's dry most of the year but does have a rainy season, and while many people think of animals when they think of this country, there are far more animals in Kenya to the south.  Despite this, snakes and hyenas do populate the country.  Hyenas are dangerous to people and in some places towns consist of 'compounds' with guarded gates at night where hyenas roam the streets, searching for food.

It takes 16 hours to fly from North Carolina to Ethiopia's capital city and then another 16 hours to travel by Land Rover to the southern villages where Jason works.  Outside of the city the roads are rough dirt and full of potholes, people, and animals.  He said that honking is an acceptable means of asking people to watch out!

Ethiopia is the only African county that was never colonized.  Because of that, and because an Ethiopian man visited with Paul in the Bible and there were early Christian settlements there, Ethiopia is quite friendly to foreign missionaries.  It is not the only faith there, however; another popular one being Islam.

Jason brought along a laptop and showed us pictures and videos of his travels.  Despite the extreme dryness, the landscape was very green and beautiful.

These mission trips each serve a specific purpose and help established Christian groups in Ethiopia.  The extreme poverty of the rural areas makes communication and shopping difficult, and so Bibles are in short supply.  Armed with an arsenal of Bibles, Jason's group gets to distribute them - but the demand is great for Bibles in their own language.  While they pass them out for free, they need a way to decide who gets each limited quantity, so the requirement is the recitation of a scripture passage.  People wanting to get a Bible borrow one from a friend, learn the required passage, and then come to the distribution point and recite it.  In this picture, you can see the elders standing around a man reciting his passage and going up to receive his Bible.

What was especially humbling about watching this video was seeing the man dancing in his excitement, reciting his passage, and knowing that he would walk hours home carrying it - after walking hours to get there.  Bibles are so rare and precious that the people are willing to put that much effort into acquiring one - and there were crowds of people waiting for this chance.  How often do I claim I'm too tired - it's too hard to understand - I don't like this translation - and not even pick it up?  To me, this was convicting.

Because people are poor and many live far away from commercial businesses, they are skilled at making things for themselves.  (There is a market day in each town to buy, sell, or trade for the goods they need.)  This hat was an example of something that they made to fill a need - and the craftsmanship was beautiful!

This shirt was another.  It was subtly colorful and had embroidery on the collar and cuffs.

Jason purchased this ball on one of his trips for his son.  The embroidery on each circle features letters of their alphabet.

This is an Ethiopian coin.

Jason went waayyyy above and beyond the call of duty.  Not only did he make time in his busy schedule to speak to us, but he also brought an Ethiopian dollar for each of the children.

He brought a favorite Ethiopian snack, too:  /fond-i-shaa./  (No idea how to spell that - but that's my phonetic version.)  Popcorn!

My Little Man is excited about his popcorn.  He's also been telling everyone about the bumpy roads and grassy houses of "Indotheopia."  I'm sure he'll figure out the name soon.

I hear that there's an Ethiopian restaurant in Raleigh. Maybe one of these days we'll venture down and try something new!

I didn't realize I had so many preconceived notions about Ethiopia until I heard Jason speak.  It sounds like a beautiful, friendly, wild, hardworking nation.  


What nation would you like to learn more about??

Hugs and Kisses Banana Bread Pancakes

When I first heard of banana bread pancakes, I knew I had to try them.  It sounded simple and healthy, but who doesn't love banana bread?  It's delicious!

And that's exactly what my kids said when I made these for them for breakfast.  At first, I must admit, My Little Man didn't want to eat these unusual-looking pancakes, but he was hooked at the first nibble.

My Big Helper, on the other hand, took one bite and yelled, "Mommy!  These are delicious!  I'll give you 100 hugs and 100 kisses for these!"

So there you have it.  This well-squeezed mommy will be making these often.

To make Hugs and Kisses Banana Bread Pancakes, you'll need:

• 2 c. white wheat flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 3/4 c. milk
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 T. melted butter
• 3 large ripe bananas, mashed

To make your pancakes, simply:

1. Mix all dry ingredients together.
2. In a separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients together.  Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir them together.
3. Add the mashed bananas and stir to combine.  **Batter will not be overly runny!  Add a tad more milk if you must, but these do fry up well.
4. Heat your griddle to 325 - 350.  Grease lightly (I used butter) and spoon about 1/3 c. of batter onto the griddle.  
5. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until bubbles begin to form on top and then flip.  
6. Cook for another 2 - 3 minutes on the other side and remove from heat.  
7. Serve with maple syrup and chopped walnuts - or just eat them plain!  

After eating a plate full of these pancakes for breakfast yesterday, My Big Helper was upset that she didn't have time for more - so she grabbed her coat, put on her backpack, and grabbed one to eat on the way.  She said that it was so good it didn't need syrup.

That's my kind of breakfast.  Easy.  Healthy.  Versatile.

What's your favorite way to eat pancakes?

Giveaway from PrintRunner!

PrintRunner, a full service high quality online printing company located in Chatsworth, California, is giving away one set of Standard Stickers to one A Nest in the Rocks reader!


PrintRunner has been in business for more than ten years.  Starting as a small company with little more than a single press and a dream, their commitment to high quality full color printing at affordable prices has grown the company into the one of the foremost quality printing companies in Southern California.

They're giving away a fabulous sticker package to one of you!


This print sticker set will be 2" wide by 3.5" high.  They will be printed on premium sticker stock and can be either full color or black and white.  The winner will receive a printed set of 250 stickers!  (A proof will not be provided, so double-check your work.)  This prize will be awarded on March 15th.  According to the website, this is a prize package worth over $41.  Wow!


I can see all sorts of uses for these stickers - book plates, name tags, fun address labels, hospitality notes, etc.  Choosing these could be lots of fun!


Want to win a set?  You can earn one entry for each of the following (just leave a separate comment for each).  Be sure I have a way to contact you if you win!

• Leave a comment on this post sharing how you would use these stickers if you win.
• Follow 'A Nest in the Rocks' in some way - GFC, subscribe, etc.  One entry for each.
• Share this giveaway via your favorite social media - 'like,' Pin it, blog about it, etc.  Again, a separate entry for each.

Now, for the nitty-gritty details...

This giveaway will end on Saturday, March 10th at noon EST.  You must be 18 or older to win.  Winner will be contacted by email and will have 36 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.


**Disclaimer:  PrintRunner contacted me about this giveaway.  They sound like a fabulous company to work with, but I have not received any of their products and so have no experience with them personally.  I agreed to do this giveaway because if they are as wonderful as they sound, one of you will win a really cool set of personalized stickers!

GratiTuesday: Give Me All Your Money!

Last week the kids and I ran to the grocery store for to pick up a forgotten item after school.  It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny, and we talked as we walked back to our car.


Suddenly an arm wrapped around my throat and a male voice growled, "Give me all your money!"


Trying not to panic, having a child on either side of me but with hands full, I just wanted to get the kids in the car and away from the men holding me.  All I could think of was getting the kids away unharmed.

Before I could do anything, however, the arm moved, the man began to laugh, and he said something rapidly.  In my relief I couldn't understand the accent.

Turning around I realized that the men are waiters at a local restaurant that we visit occasionally.  (From this story one would think we're there every day, but truly, we're not - though the food is very good.)  They smiled and laughed, said something else I couldn't understand, and waved as they continued their trek from the restaurant to the bank just across the parking lot.

With the perceived threat gone, I hurried the kids into the car and returned home.

I must admit, I didn't think their joke was very funny; instead, it was really scary.  I'm thankful, however, that these men were just joking.  It makes me wonder, though, about how they perceive us as customers in their restaurant.  Do they see us all as friends?  Do they remember everybody this way?  If so, how nice it must be to see the world at large as your friends!

We haven't been back to this restaurant since the incident, and I'm not sure when we will be, but although they scared me, I'm glad to know that these waiters are ultimately so kind and attentive.

Maybe friends aren't as difficult to find as I'd thought.


For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

Menu Plan Monday - March 5, 2012

We've got another regular week coming up with big changes in the weather and some new recipes to try.  With Lenten fasts in full effect I'm still using simple ingredients with lots of fruits and veggies.

This week we'll be eating:

Breakfast:
- scrambled eggs with oranges and applesauce muffins

- fresh fruit and Cinnamon Almond Granola
- Banana bread pancakes


Lunches will be our usual assortment of leftovers or sandwiches with yogurt or cheese and sliced fruits or veggies.

Dinner:
- Minestrone soup with cheesy breadsticks

- Quick and healthy stir fry

- Easy BBQ chicken sandwiches, roasted carrots and onions, homemade potato chips
- Easy taco casserole, salad
- Breakfast for supper: biscuit pizza
- Grab it and growl
- Supper at church

I'm sure that we'll be doing some baking in there, too, but I'm not sure just what yet.  I'll wait for inspiration to hit!

What are you cooking up this week?